Favorite book roundup

I get an awful lot of books sent to me every week, and I can’t begin to read them all. Here are a few that stood out:

Link
Get a Hobby!: 101 All-Consuming Diversions for Any Lifestyle, by Tina Barseghian.

I like to dabble with things I know nothing about, and Get a Hobby! is full of ideas I’ve never considered. African violet cultivation, ant farming, balloon twisting, beekeeping, bell ringing, bike customizing, bonsai, coffee roasting, composting, deejaying, docenting, dumpster diving, falconry, gilding, ikebana, mushroom hunting, seed trading, topiary, treasure hunting, and whittling are just a few of the hobbies Barseghian covers.

Only two pages are devoted to each hobby, so this shouldn’t be considered an in-depth how-to guide. It’s more of an introduction to the hobbies, with pointers to resources and an occasional sample project.

A Book About Moomin, Mymble and Little My, by Tove Jansson

I don’t know how this book ended up on my shelf. It just appeared one day when I was looking for something to read to my 4-year-old daughter. It’s an English translation of an odyssey undertaken by a hippo-like creature named Moomin and two girls, Mymble and Little My. The art is a strange delight and the pages have holes cut in them to add a nonlinear twist to the story. Whoever gave me this book — thank you!

Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters: Defending the Earth with Ultraman and Godzilla, by August Ragone

Eiji Tsuburaya the Japanese special effects director for the classic Japanese monster movies like Godzilla, Ultraman. This biographyis packed with hundreds of photos, film stills, and concept drawings. This hardcover edition is beautifully designed. I’m not a huge fan of Japanese monster movies, but this book might turn me into one.

The Subgenius Psychlopaedia of Slack: The Bobliographon, edited by Rev. Ivan Stang

Peter Lamborn Wilson (aka Hakim Bey) once told me that the Church of the SubGenius was not a joke. I agree. It’s the only religion I can take seriously. There are deep truths buried in the pages of this zine-like book of high-weirdness, false conspiracies, idiot synchronicities, and tales of the mystic supersalesman, J.R. “Bob” Dobbs. SubGenius ministers include: Pee-wee Herman, David Byrne, Mark Mothersbaugh, Penn Jillette, Robert Anton Wilson, Rudy Rucker, John Shirley, and me.